Dakar

Senegal / Dakar

OVERVIEW

Contraception (Birth Control)

General Note: There are many types of contraceptives, also known as "birth control," including IUDs, oral contraceptives, patches, shots, and condoms, etc. If you would like to view a full list, click here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Senegal, you can purchase contraception (birth control) without a prescription. According to a 2015 report, 18.1% of women in Senegal (who are married/in unions and of reproductive age) use any form of contraception, including traditional methods. The most common forms of contraception were injectables (6.5%), the pill (5.3%) and implants (2.8%). Traditional methods, like withdrawal (0.1%) and the rhythm method (0.4%) weren't very common. The report also found that 30% of Senegalese women had unmet family planning needs.

Overall, Senegal has one of the lowest rates of contraceptive use in the world. It also has one of the highest birth rates (five births per woman). This can be partially attributed to social, cultural and religious factors. Senegal is a Muslim-majority country where men sometimes take multiple wives. In this environment, women are typically expected to have many children, and contraception is not highly common, especially in rural areas. Family planning decisions are usually left to men (e.g. husbands and imams) without significant input from women. Furthermore, contraception is often viewed as un-Islamic and a product of European interference in Senegalese affairs. This is compounded by the fact that most family planning programs in Senegal are funded by international donors.

However, Senegalese women are beginning to take a more active role in their health decisions. With the help of radio announcements, community health workers and friend's advice, women are increasingly seeking out contraceptives on their own. Furthermore, there is some religious support for birth spacing. While the Quran does advocate that women have many children, some Senegalese imams also point that the Quran supports birth spacing..

For more information, here is a video about efforts to introduce contraception to rural women in Senegal.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• To see a list of contraceptives available in Senegal, click here.
• You can legally purchase birth control pills at pharmacies without a prescription. Some of the pills you can expect to see are Lo-Femenal, Microval, Ovrette and Roselle.
• If you want a contraceptive implant, you can expect to see Jadelle and Norplant.
• If you want a contraceptive shot/injectable, you can find Depo-Prodasone and Depo-Provera.

Emergency Contraception (Morning After Pill)

Important Notes: Emergency contraception may prevent pregnancy for three days (72 hours) and sometimes five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Take EC as soon as possible after unprotected sex. If you don't have access to dedicated EC, oral contraceptives can be used as replacement EC, but remember the following: 1) Only some contraceptives work as EC 2) Different contraceptives require different dosages and time schedules to work as EC 3) You must only use the first 21 pills in 28-day packs and 4) They may be less effective than dedicated EC. For general information on emergency contraceptives, click here and here.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Note: The longest-lasting EC is currently ellaOne. It lasts up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Check to see if your country carries ellaOne. If your country doesn't carry ellaOne, copper IUDs may also prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex. If none of these options are available, and it's been over 3 days since you had unprotected sex, you can still take EC, which may work up to 5 days. Note that EC pills are not 100% effective and should be taken as soon as possible.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs/STDs)

Important Notes - Learn about PEP and PrEP: If you think that you've been recently exposed to HIV (i.e. within 72 hours), seek out PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a month-long treatment to prevent HIV infection after exposure, and it may be available in your city. Take PEP as soon as possible. For more information, click here. If you are at risk of HIV exposure, seek out PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a daily oral pill that can prevent HIV infection before exposure. To learn more about PrEP, click here.

Menstruation

Note: In addition to pads and tampons, you can also use menstrual cups and menstrual underwear for your period. To learn more about menstrual cups, click here. To learn more about menstrual underwear, click here.

Abortion

Important Note: There are two main types of abortions: medical (also known as the "abortion pill") and surgical (also known as "in-clinic"). For medical abortions, you take a pill to induce abortion. For surgical abortions, a procedure is performed to induce abortion. For general information about medical and surgical abortions, click here.